I have thought about this question a lot and have come up with three things:
1. It occurs in sacred space
2. Energy is sensed and moved during the massage
3. It does not exclude any part of the body out of principle
Sacred space?
Sacred space does not really refer to the room the massage is given in as much as it refers to the state of mind, body, and heart of the giver and receiver. In our normal lives, we tend to not honor or be honored by those around us very much. Sacred space means that two people meet as sacred individuals, each honoring the god or goddess of the other, regardless of personal history, gender, or anything else. It is through this honoring that the spaces inside ourselves in need of healing and peace can open during the massage.
Feeling Your Energy
Tantra teaches that you are a flow of energy and a point of consciousness, without dimensionality. Many of our problems in life stem from the fact that our life energy gets blocked or obstructed at various moments during our lives. Tantric massage examines how these blockages work within our physical bodies and helps release them. Some manifestations of blockages or lack of flow are “premature” ejaculation or impotence in men, frigidity, lack of sensation, or inability to orgasm in women. Other manifestations include inability to contact or show emotions or exploding and hysterical emotional releases.
The Whole Body
Tantra teaches that we are complete beings and that everything about our bodies in natural and sacred. Thus, a tantric massage does not consciously exclude any part of the body, though it may not focus on or even include every part of the body. So, our genitals and sexuality are not ignored or left out during tantric massages, but included in order to include our genitals into our bodies and consciousness and to integrate our sexuality into our lives.